'Fresh leads' in Madeleine hunt

POLICE hunting for missing Madeleine McCann are scrutinising four pieces of 'very useful' fresh information, Crimestoppers said, as her mother led villagers and holidaymakers in prayer at a church. The tip-offs came among hundreds of calls made from Portugal to a special number set up by the charity. A spokeswoman said they have been passed to Leicestershire Police, who are working alongside Portuguese police on the case.

POLICE hunting for missing Madeleine McCann are scrutinising four pieces of 'very useful' fresh information, Crimestoppers said. The tip-offs came among hundreds of calls made from Portugal to a special number set up by the charity.

A spokeswoman said they have been passed to Leicestershire Police, who are working alongside Portuguese police on the case. She declined to comment further on the nature of the information.

Last Thursday night Madeleine’s parents, Kate and Gerry, both doctors, returned from dining with friends at a tapas bar opposite their holiday apartment to discover that Madeleine - who will be four on Saturday - was gone. Mrs McCann led villagers and holidaymakers in prayer for her missing daughter today.

There has been no news on Madeleine’s whereabouts since, although police are looking at CCTV footage showing a girl fitting Madeleine’s description with a woman at a service station just a few miles from the village of Praia Da Luz.

The woman was said to be urging the girl to say 'thank you' to staff but she appeared reluctant, apparently wanting to say something, which made staff suspicious. The Galp service station is the first stop on the motorway which cuts across the Algarve towards Spain, less than an hour away.

Portuguese police are said to be focusing their search on the possibility that Madeleine was abducted by an organised paedophile network.

Reports in two Portuguese newspapers said police were investigating the possibility that Madeline was snatched by a group of three - two men and a woman. 24 Horas and Correio da Manha both reported that the CCTV footage from the service station near Praia Da Luz could hold the key.

The newspaper said the image had been passed to British police for help in attempting to identify her. It added that it was also being shown to those who gave witness statements to the police. Correio da Manha said the CCTV footage showed a car with a British number plate and claimed that the number has already been circulated through Interpol. It said one theory was that the kidnap was carried out by one of the men with the complicity of a couple.

As part of efforts to find the three-year-old, search teams have scoured a nine-mile stretch of land and sea. Police have also inspected 500 apartments and interviewed more than 100 people. Portuguese police may scale down their efforts within the next few days as some of the 930 officers involved are reassigned and examining 350 leads.

The force has come under intense criticism for its handling of the case but refuses to reveal details of the investigation amid an information blackout because of Portuguese laws.

There has also been some criticism of the couple for leaving their three young children alone in the apartment while they went out for dinner. But Gerry’s sister, Patricia, 47, a nurse from Glasgow, said they did not trust a babysitter.

An internet appeal asking for help in tracing Madeleine in English, Portuguese and Spanish has been issued by Ceop and the Virtual Global Taskforce (VGT) at the request of the Portuguese authorities.